Lisa Shock

Well, I moved, and could not take the yuzu trees with me. If anyone knows of anyone willing to mail me some seeds or a whole fruit, I am very interested.

Sorry, I was just going with the whole 'does it have to be sweet?' riff. Sabayon would be what I'd make. There's a simplicity to it and history, and, well, not enough desserts use wine!

Eggs in Purgatory

I call it a salad sandwich: toasted seeded wheat bread or sunflower whole wheat mustard on one slice mayo on the other slice lettuce a few spinach leaves shredded carrots sliced tomato sliced red onion sliced cucumber paper-thin radish slices or radish sprouts sunflower sprouts (or alfalfa or broccoli sprouts) julienned red bell pepper raw mushroom slices drizzle of vinaigrette on greens before closing and cutting -It often needs to be pressed firmly before cutting, and can be messy to eat.

I have two, one regular balloon and one silicone dipped.

Dignan, Sara Moulton, perhaps? I haven't watched anything on the network for a couple of years with the exception of one episode of the recent 'Restaurant Impossible' -a cheap 'Kitchen Nightmares' knockoff. The network just isn't really about food anymore.

Do you have room for a garden, or some planters? Growing some herbs and vegetables and then cooking with them is fun and will teach the kids about food origins and what various plants are like in different growth stages.

They were extremely popular in the 1800's, pretty much required as part of any upper-class evening meal or luncheon -particularly in summertime. Made from leaf gelatin, they were viewed as the pinnacle of refined taste and symbolized wealth of the host/hostess. There was also a huge industry in making elaborate molds for each of the classes of gelatin-based foods. The development of cheap powder gelatin gave broader access to to the dish across both economic and geographic boundaries. The powdered for was easier to use, and quickly was offered in flavors. But, it was not until the development of home refrigerators and their subsequent decline in price, that gelatin-based foods were embraced by the masses. I think that in the 1950's, when Julia was attending school, the old-guard recalled the era when the aspic was king of the table and taught it as such, even while the suzie-homemaker publications of the day were pushing weird, cheap gelatin concoctions as ways to liven up leftovers or create garish new desserts. Even today, use of aspic is integral in fine dining garde manger presentations. And, it is still taught in schools. I suspect that it doesn't get served in homes much any more because, for some of the older crowd, it represents old-fashioned, unstylish food that we saw our grandparents serve. And, there is a lot of modern association of gelatin foods with low-class, cheap, processed convenience 'recipes' designed to improve corporate profits -the complete opposite of natural, wholesome foods which began to surge in popularity in the 1970's.

My go to chocolate cake, as long as it doesn't have to be used in huge multi-tiered construction or carved, is the Chocolate Mayonnaise cake recipe in The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. It's moist, light, easy to make and inexpensive. It does rely on cocoa for the flavor, so make certain to use a good one.

I just remembered that brown paper bags have changed. Most of them are now made with some recycled paper content, and that content can contain random quantities of various inks, dyes, metal fragments, plastics, perfume chemicals from those samples in magazines, etc. They aren't considered safe to cook in any more. (My family makes turkey in a big grocery bag for Thanksgiving and finding a non-recycled bag has been a big project for the past fifteen years or so.) The scorch marks can be due to the various bits of contaminants burning, which isn't good for the food, or your lungs.

I have heard him state opinion as fact. On several occasions, he has said something along the lines of 'X herb is the ONLY seasoning appropriate on Y ingredient.' And, my first thought is always, 'huh? I bet people in India or China or Malaysia would disagree. I know that at my house we occasionally like Q herb or Z herb on it.'

It's pretty thick, I don't spray it. (I wish I could!) I brush it on with a pastry brush or smear with a bit of paper towel.

I liked the show, but, I can see that he's already covered so much territory that there just isn't much left to say. -At least at the infotainment-for-the-casual-user level of expertise that FN is interested in presenting in their lineup. But, he's a savvy producer, and, if he says he has great things on the horizon, I would believe him. He's always been straightforward with the press.

I use granules to make a trans-fat-free pan-release coating for baking pans. This stuff works really well; better than shortening. Ingredients: 2 oz lecithin granules 1 cup vegetable oil (use one with a smoke point above 400°) Mix in a blender or food processor until smooth. Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to a year. Use to grease pans.

I put my ZoJirushi on a timer, mostly to save energy when I am asleep. Maybe the husband would be ok with that? (It also means that I can make tea immediately upon rising.) The main difference between a hot water pot and the instant hot water for sinks is the connection to the house's water line. The hot water pot can eventually dry out inside, and older models that didn't have the sorts of thermostats we have today would have problems with burning out the heating element if the water was gone. That can't happen in the just-in-time models unless you have a plumbing failure or water shutoff.

They probably would appreciate some naan bread off the grill. For the most part, they are used to using bread as a 'scoop' when eating, and this more than anything will be a touchstone for them. Can you get an extra grate for your grill so the naan doesn't have to be cooked in meat juice? I'd also serve basmati rice and a vegetable masala dish of some sort. And, salads are important -just regular greens and tomatoes type salads with vinaigrette. I found the websites of a couple of Indian newspapers with recipe resources (kinda like allrecipes) a couple of years ago and have been trying to cook from them when I can. I am sure others here are a lot more qualified, I'm just a vegetarian who reads Madhur Jaffrey and eats at Indian restaurants.

Looks like they want liquid eggs in the brownie formula. (as opposed to powdered) The egg section asks for you to either use cracked eggs as they are naturally (no shells), or, to use packaged yolks (unsugared) and packaged whites in the same ratio as found in nature. That is, a 2oz large egg is 1.25oz white and .75oz yolk approximately. Fresh or frozen is ok. What sort of eggs do you have access to?

MasterCook software has had features like this for years. It comes with recipes, and you can input your own, and it generates shopping lists. It will also show the nutritional values of the recipes so you can make sure you're serving healthy foods. I guess sites like that are ok for people who don't know much about cooking and never had a Home Ec class.

I have an older edition, and I do use it -especially for brainstorming menu ideas.

Acids keep starches firm as a general rule. That's why, for example, I add a tablespoon of vinegar to the water I boil cut potatoes in -to help them keep the shape of the knife cuts. It's also why you don't add acidic ingredients to baked beans until they are cooked and tender.

Thank you for the info. Does refrigeration help delay the oil from becoming rancid? If so, how much time does it buy? Refrigeration does slow things down considerably, so does limiting exposure to air. Try to keep containers almost full and use a vacuum sealer if you have one. I can't give precise predictions because there are too many variables, but, I store all of my oils and nuts/seeds in the fridge or freezer. (I also add a little BHT to oils when I open the containers and write an 'opened on' date on each package.) I don't currently have access to equipment to test results, but, my feeling is that you can get an extra six months or so out of a product. That said, I try not to buy oils and oily items in bulk quantities unless scheduled for a task in the near future. I also run my home fridge like a commercial one, FIFO rotation of new items to the back and a weekly cleaning & inspection of dates and quality. I attend a couple of potlucks each month which conveniently give me a way to use up oddball items.

Distributors often have free classes on their wines, look into what they offer. There are also sommelier classes available in most major cities via different organizations take a look at the web info for the major groups and also ask at local culinary schools. Cheers!

Could be your water, maybe. I try to use my RO water to cook beans after reading that sometimes they take forever to cook due to minerals in the water. So, this might be related to either acidic or mineral-laden water.

Patak's curry pastes -not always, just when I am in a hurry or can't get to the market to get all the fresh spices I need -I live fairly far from the nearest market with Indian produce Old Bay Seasoning -my family moved to Maryland when I was 10, and it's a flavor that resonates for me in certain dishes And, yes, I use liquid smoke and granulated garlic as well as onion powder -but, those are pure, real ingredients with specific uses.

Thanks for the link to the chart!